Iraqi migrant trains at U.S. Border Patrol Academy

At a training facility in the middle of a desert in New Mexico, aspiring border patrol agent Stevany Shakare sprinted laps in 103-degree Fahrenheit weather as her instructors shouted at her to run faster.

9 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Shakare, a 23-year-old from Iraq, is one of three women in a class of 20 at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. They are powering through an intensive 112-day training program, in which agents must master firearms, high-speed, off-road vehicle chases, immigration law, conversational Spanish and gruelling physical tests.

They are preparing to track, apprehend and arrest immigrants and drug traffickers attempting to enter the United States illegally.

8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

"I am obviously very short and tiny," said the petite Shakare, surrounded by men who appeared twice her size. "But I'm trying and giving it my all - that's all that matters."

In 2004, at the age of 10, she fled her home after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Her family settled in Michigan where she graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in criminal justice.

8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

"Had I stayed in Iraq, I probably wouldn't have ended up to where I am today," said Shakare, who said she learned English watching "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," on television.

"Probably wouldn't have gone to college, wouldn't have gotten a degree. I feel like I owe my life to this country," she said.

8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to crackdown on illegal immigration and strengthen security along U.S. borders, particularly with Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security in February announced plans to add more than 5,000 border enforcement agents to the current force.

Chief Patrol Agent Dan Harris, who runs the academy, said a major increase in violent crime along the southern border in the past year encouraged many to become border patrol agents.

8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

"When I talk to people, I say: 'All of us know someone whose life has been destroyed by drugs - a family member, a friend, a neighbour,'" Harris said. "Every day, men and women want to get out there."

Shakare said she now has the full support of her parents, both of whom plan to watch her graduate in November.

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8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Frank Ayala points out where migrants are sometimes found on trains.

8 Jun 2017. Artesia, United States. Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

Border patrol agents demonstrate a training exercise with actors playing the roles of migrants.